Do you generally prefer Western or Eastern games, and why

[The_Liquid_Laser]

Overall I like Japanese games the most, but there are some exceptions.

I tend to think of Japanese games having these aspects: bottom up design (moment to moment), linear, Japanese/Eastern culture including Anime tropes.  Western games have these aspects: top down design (big picture), nonlinear, Western culture.  I think "bottom up" design makes for better gameplay.  I.e. Japanese games tend to have tight, responsive controls and there is a focus on making simple actions in their games enjoyable.  On the other hand I think Western culture is more interesting as a whole than Japanese culture is, and games that draw from Western stories/mythologies/worlds are more interesting.

The best games often find a way to take the best parts of both philosophies and combine them together.  Zelda 1 and Breath of the Wild are both extremely nonlinear.  Zelda 1 is basically Ultima 1 turned into an action game, while BotW was inspired by both Zelda 1 and open world Western games that were popular about 10 years ago.  Both of those Zeldas use the open-world nonlinear philosophy, but they have tighter gameplay than the Western games they are emulating.  On the other hand Undertale is clearly inspired by JRPGs, but it has branching story paths, because Toby Fox is American.  In either case, I think it makes the game better to take the best parts of both philosophies.